… and I am Somebodymale. in my thirties. recovering alcoholic. live in minneapolis. work in progress. gay. serenity please.

Do you refer to the season as Fall or Autumn in your part of the world? I’ve always said Fall – maybe to help me remember that I am supposed to set my clock back in the fall and forward in the spring. But I think it’s got a more significant correlation – the leaves falling to the ground all around us.

If a strong wind comes along a tree-lined street, it’s as if it’s raining with the leaves falling all around you.

I remember raking leaves every year with my family. I abhored the chore of actually raking, but loved playing in the pile afterwards. In fact, one of my first memories is of playing in a pile of leaves (and peeing my pants when I couldn’t get out).

Fall in the Upper Peninsula (of Michigan) is beautiful. So many forests turning color next to the freezing water of lake Superior. It’s not unusual to find a road that is entirely shaded from the trees above, driving over the leaves that have fallen.

The brisk air makes my skin dry, and I anticipate going through a case of Lubriderm this winter, but I like the air because it feels clean and refreshing.

Warmer clothes are making their way to the tops of the piles in drawers and in my closet. Short sleeves sinking to the bottom.

I start closing the window at night because my bedroom gets too cool. The heat comes on in the morning to help ease the sudden chill when stepping out of hte shower.

Fog appears in the late evening into the early morning and the view from my window reveals cars’ headlights coming through the mist. The fog also conveys a feeling of cleanliness, as if it’s sucking the pollutants away and carrying them off into the atmosphere.

Soon there will be snow, but it will quickly melt until the air stays consistently below freezing, but when it does, rejoice, for fresh snow is the most beautiful thing nature knows.

Forgot to add. The weather is really mild at the moment. There are reports of snowdrops in Cornwall – they don’t normally appear until Jan/Feb. If we have a cold winter – they are buggered. Poor things.